BBC sweeps Brit Acad noms

LONDON — The ITV web was almost wiped out in this year’s British Academy Award nominations for TV programs, while the BBC dominated the field.

Despite being the U.K.’s top-rated network, ITV managed just 14 nominations out of a possible 104 from the British Academy of Film & TV Arts.

This weak showing will add fuel to criticism that ITV’s program quality has declined sharply in recent years, as the restructuring of the network has forced the regional ITV stations to become more commercial.

Only Granada kept the quality flag flying for ITV, winning 10 of the web’s nominations with dramas such as “Hillsborough,” “Prime Suspect” and “Moll Flanders,” plus two more for “The Mrs Merton Show,” which it produces for the BBC.

The BBC grabbed 66 nominations, split evenly between its two channels, while the minority web Channel 4 took 24 nods. There was even a solitary nomination for BSkyB, normally overlooked completely by Bafta. The BBC’s drama serial “My Friends in the North” was the most nominated show, with seven nods.

The main British Academy award ceremony for both TV and film takes place April 29, although the crafts awards will be handed out at a separate event April 13.